Homecoming
by KaleidoscopeSuperior
Summary: Two sisters seperated by neglectful parents learn to stop resenting eachother when their parents are ripped away from eachother and they are left with only eachother to cling to when sent to a foreign country in which their former lives mean nothing.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The split second before you die is the time when your life flashes before your eyes. James and Simone Dexter, full of purpose and confidence, looked at the limp body that lay on the floor of Mr. Devore's office. They had gone in there to inform Mr. Devore of their financial rut in order to obtain the funds they deemed necessary. But when the annoyed, then surprised, then stone look settled on Mr. Devore's face when the Dexter's opened the office doors, and they saw the silver gun rise to fire twice more, time slowed down for James and Simone.

Suddenly, James was back in the hospital delivery room, holding Simone's hand as she pushed and delivered their baby girl, Kayleena. He kissed his wife's red face and looked on lovingly as she finally held a squirming, red and wrinkly infant.

Simone was back to the day James had sold his first painting; enough money to put a down payment on a house! She remembered the long hours James was away on work and how he would come home once or twice a week, bearing lavish gifts of jewelry and –to her surprise—a gardener! Now the yard would look nice!

James recalled the night he discovered his wife was pregnant. With the gardener's child. Simone remembered how they had stayed together. They both remembered the tense night a year later that Tawny was born, a dark-haired brown ball, kicking for her mother. And that's how she stayed.

Simone remembered walking into her house one day after grocery shopping to find Kayleena's head in Tawny's chokehold. She remembered yelling at her beloved daughter. Tawny said she had done it because Kayleena wasn't really her sister. "She _is_ your sister," Simone remembered telling her firmly.

James remembered teaching Kayleena how to draw. He remembered her first real drawing. It was of charcoal. The shading was done to near perfection. It was a picture of Tawny as she slept. He remembered the dejected look on Kayleena's face after he turned it away. Tawny was not his child, after all.

Simone fondly recalled braiding Tawny's hair and singing to her. They sang together all the time. Tawny had a lovely soprano voice, even as a baby.

Week after week, James noticed the deteriorating state of the house. Paint was chipped, walls were dented. He remembered yelling at Tawny for that. She always was rough. He told the fiery 12 year old to knock off the rough housing. He could still see the anger in her face as she screamed where his rightful place was in her life: nowhere.

Simone and James could both recollect their late-night discussions about how tight money was. They also remembered their debates about the girls. Simone complained that Kayleena received too much of James' affection, leaving much to be desired for Tawny. James would then throw her affair back in her face, and remind her of how little love was shown for Kayleena on Simone's behalf.

Then, of course, the train ride to New York—James' place of business. They both remembered how sure they both felt on the long ride. They had a good case: James was not selling fraud artwork, yet his salary seemed to reflect as much. They wanted more money. They needed more money.

They saw the large wooden doors open and the form of a body drop to the ground as a bullet entered the person's head. And now, James and Simone Dexter saw one come towards them.

-------------------


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kayleena Rachelle Dexter sat in the principals' office, wringing her hands together. She had never been here. Why was she here? She didn't do anything wrong, did she?

She had just finished taking her AP Calculus test when a note summoned her to the office. "Immediately," it read. If she had to be there immediately, why was she waiting for the principal to get there?

She sighed heavily and began picking at her nails. She had long, sleek fingers. They were very pretty, but once one looked at her nails, the beauty was forgotten. She had paint and pencil lead, chalk and charcoal, oils—name it, and it was under her nails. It wasn't because she never washed her hands, but because it simply would not come out. So, Kayleena picked at it.

She realized that she would have been doing this in her calculus class as well. Granted, it was only the first half on the fourth period, but—what could she say? Math came easily to her.

But, anxiety quickly took over. She did not belong in Principal Yekle's office. This was Tawny's domain. Did she blame something on her, Kayleena wondered. But no; no one would have believed Tawny…would they?

Kayleena gasped aloud. Maybe this was about the pen she found in the library! Maybe the owner had complained of a lost pen and they traced it to her! Kayleena turned bewildered. Naturally, she would have turned it in, but she had used it to write her notes for the AP Latin class. She needed _some_ sort of analogy to remember her vocabulary!

In the midst of her mental hyperventilation, Principal Yekle walked into his office. He saw the face of Kayleena Dexter whirl around to greet him. Her face was pale and her brown eyes were wide. Her pink lips trembled as she tried to offer a smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said softly. He had never had to deal with this sort of thing before, and had sought the solitude of the bathroom to figure out a way to tell the Dexter girls the horrible news.

"No problem," was the shaky reply. Sam Yekle grimaced inwardly as he walked to his desk. If she was nervous now, without knowing why she was in here, he could only imagine how she would be afterwards.

He sat at his large oak desk and noticed there was only one person in front of him.

"Where is your sister?" he inquired. "This concerns her as well."

Kayleena couldn't help expressing her relief. She wasn't in trouble.

"Um, I don't know where Tawny is," she said, her voice normal.

Sam frowned. Well, he assumed there wouldn't be anything wrong with Tawny finding out the news from her sister. Less work for him, too.

"Um, Kayleena," Principal Yekle began. "I had hoped that you and Tawny could find out together, but I guess this is fine." He cleared his throat. The girl in front of him looked confused. He folded his hands on his desk.

"Miss Dexter," he started again. "There is no easy way to say this, but…I got a call from New York."

"New York?" Kayleena asked. What did that have to do with her?

"Yes. It's about your parents."

"My parents? They went to New York?"

Sam Yekle sighed. "Yes. I spoke with Officer Meranda of the New York Police Department, here is his phone number," he slid a piece of paper to Kayleena. "He informed me that your parents…" how could he continue? The young girl's eyes were wide and had started to fill up. Her jaw was clenched and her hands were folded neatly, though tightly.

"Yes?" she asked.

"…were murdered," he finished.

Kayleena felt her heart skip a beat. And another. And another. She felt the universe expanding as it never had before, slowing time to a screeching halt. She felt tears slide down her face and the heavy weight of saliva plunge down her esophagus. She felt her lungs quiver as she inhaled a shaky breath.

She heard the thump of her hand hitting the side of her chair and she heard the box of tissues slide across the principal's large desktop.

She finally felt her neck lift her head to look into the principal's face, which told her all she needed to know.

What was she to do? She had to tell Tawny. She had to get a hold of Officer Meranda and find out how her parents died, how he had known where to reach them, and anything else she could learn.

"Will you please excuse me?" Kayleena asked of the principal.

He nodded. "When you are ready, there is someone here who will take you and your sister home."

"I'll go find her," Kayleena said, sniffling. She grabbed a couple tissues and dabbed her nose. "Do I need a pass?"

Principal Yekle could barely contain his emotions. Her parents were murdered, and she still followed the rules. He wasn't sure if he ought to be concerned about her or ashamed for not getting Tawny instead.

"No, it's alright," he stammered.

Kayleena stood and looked at her backpack. "Is it ok if I leave this here?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Thank you." She sniffled. "I'll try to hurry," she said before going out the door behind her before Yekle could tell her to take all the time she needed.

------------------

Outside the office, Kayleena blew her nose. She had grabbed four tissues, and in the first time that she blew her nose, they all went to shreds.

"Ew," she muttered and went to the nearest bathroom. She always preferred toilet paper to tissues. In fact, if she remembered correctly, so did her mother.

Her mother. Dead. Kayleena didn't know how to react to that. She wasn't close to her mother. At all. But she still couldn't help the image that formed in her mind of a long-haired brunette with small brown eyes, short lashes, somewhat large nose, and thin lips now lying on the floor, limp, in a puddle of her own blood. Kayleena knew her eyes would be glazed over, the pupils dilated, and the once tanned skin now pale.

But no, Kayleena shook her head. She did not wish to see her mother like that. Her father would not approve.

Once again, Kayleena felt tears silently flow. She wouldn't try to see her father. That would be unbearable.

She knew that Tawny felt the same way about Simone as Kayleena felt about her dad. She had to find Tawny.

Kayleena blew all the residue out of her nose and went, in search of Tawny, to all the places she herself wouldn't go to.

------------------

Twenty minutes later, Kayleena spotted her sister. On the gym roof. With a boy. Well, with a group of boys, anyway.

They all turned when they heard Kayleena's intentional grunt. Tawny, however, didn't seem to hear. Kayleena sighed and ignored the stares the rest of the boys were giving her, and waited for her sister to look up.

She could see why Tawny got so much attention. She had the natural tan, amazing bronze skin actually, curly black hair and somewhat overly-curvy physique.

In reality, both girls got that trait from their mother, though Tawny would die before admitting it.

Unfortunately, Kayleena couldn't get Tawny's attention just by waiting. She was about to say something when one boy, finally capable of talking, uttered an almost decipherable sentence.

"Haaay baby. You loooook like, uh, mu uh, mudda. Ohh, you gonna make- um, punish me like-a she do?"

Kayleena clenched her jaw. Ignore him, she thought.

Then, Tawny noticed her sister. And Kayleena noticed what her sister was sitting on, and trying to do.

Tawny was sitting in the lap of the oldest-looking boy "learning" how to light a joint. Her eyes were ablaze as they regarded Kayleena, The Intruder/Interloper.

"What do you want, whitey?" Tawny spat. "Go back to class, book-worm, and try to fit in _there_."

Kayleena viewed that as a warning.

"I have something to tell you, Tawny," Kayleena said. Unfortunately, her voice was small and she found her eyes were on her feet.

"What was that?" Tawny asked, coming towards Kayleena. "I have trouble understanding cry-baby."

How dare Kayleena just show up! Did Tawny ever, just, appear in one of the many AP classes that Kayleena was so absorbed in? No! Why did she think she had the right, or even the _ability_ to enter into her territory?

But when Kayleena looked up, her brown eyes all doe-like, hurt and bruised, Tawny was taken aback.

"I know you probably don't care one way or another," Kayleena blurted. "But, when you're done here with these hooligans, when _you_ are done smoking your brain cells and sperm away," Kayleena added a bit louder for the group of boys. "When _you_, Oh Mighty Tawny are ready, I will tell you that our parents have been murdered in New York, and we can go home when _you_ are through." Kayleena took one last look at a shocked Tawny, exhaled sharply, and took herself off the roof.

Tawny controlled her trembling. She was not a weakling like Kayleena, after all. She straightened up, gathered her belongings, and followed Kayleena's trail: to the front office.

------------------

As Kayleena entered the office with a subdued and dull eyed Tawny, Principal Yekle had to wonder how well the younger of the two sisters would fair. Unlike Kayleena, Tawny had never been level headed, rule-abiding, or kind for that matter.

But underlying all her bad traits, there was something about Tawny that drew people in as easily as Kayleena's doe eyes. A quality which it was quite obvious Tawny was determined to smother as thoroughly as possible.

Even now however, he had to wonder what precisely lay behind her façade of near malicious childishness. It was when her eyes shot up to his with a chilling glare he realized he'd been staring. "Problem?" she asked sharply.

His eyes wavered for a second but in the end he managed to maintain her gaze. "I'm aware you're upset Tawny. But now isn't the time."

For once in his career, Yekle managed to get Tawny to lower her eyes in an almost meek manner. It was unfortunate that at that moment another student was dragged into the office. "I didn't do it!" snapped the boy. Kayleena stiffened. Mark Tanner. One of Tawny's less tasteful exes. And that was saying something, considering Tawny only dated scum.

The moment his eyes and Tawny's met, a chill ran down Yekle's spine. "Tawny." he said smirking. "What are you in here for? Get caught whoring yourself to a hall monitor?"

It took less than half a second for Tawny to tackle and begin punching the boy, under five punches for her to draw blood, and over three office security guards to rip her off the screaming boy. When they got her off, they formed a wall between her and the boy, suspecting that she'd attack again when given the chance.

When, instead, she rushed at Kayleena, Yekle moved to interfere. But he was too late. Tawny knocked Kayleena down and into the wall before wrapping her arms around her elder sister's waist and depleting to a shaking, crying ball.

Kayleena looked shocked for the first few seconds. But after a while her eyes went dull and she put her hand on Tawny's hair as she wept. Just as their mother would have.

------------------


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

At the funeral, several relatives invited Kayleena to live with them. Tawny heard each one and both sisters heard what none would willingly say. They were willing to take in James' daughter. But not Simone's. She was content to stay at the back of the church, gazing aimlessly with eyes that she knew made their relatives uncomfortable.

Kayleena, however, had been dragged to the front where she had a clear view of the bodies. She couldn't stop crying. After the incident in the office, Tawny never started crying. The relatives noted this with a cool assumption that being the wretched creature she was, Tawny wouldn't cry.

What they didn't know was that she hadn't spoken either. She hadn't spoken to the police officers at the school, the councilors, the principal, her friends, Kayleena. It was like something was at the back of her throat taking away the will and capability to form words.

A hand settled on her head. Her hand shot out and slapped it away immediately and she turned her glare to a familiar face before it dissipated. "You look like you need a stiff drink and a hug, kiddo."

"Uncle Devore!" she said, jumping up and hugging him. Kayleena's head shot up at the sound of Tawny's voice and soon, she'd run towards them, ignoring the disapproving eyes of family members as she, too, embraced Devore.

"Uncle Devore," she said clearing her throat and wiping away her tears. "I'm…I'm glad you're here." murmured Kayleena.

It was indeed a great comfort, for as long as the two had lived, there'd been two forms of stability. Their respectively close parents, and Uncle Devore. Whenever money had grown tight there'd been Uncle Devore with treats, toys, and trips to the zoo.

When Kayleena had won the art contest at school, Uncle Devore had been there watching proudly as she accepted the prize. When Tawny had knocked out a boy's tooth in fourth grade, Uncle Devore had been at the office patting her on the head affectionately telling her not to get into trouble anymore, to which she would laughingly agree before crawling into his lap and falling asleep.

And in the background their parents would watch with bittersweet smiles, glad that their children had been offered the opportunities they were being offered, but somehow…Resentful.

But the curiosity over those strange faces was gone as Tawny and Kayleena gathered around the last stability in their lives. "Well, I had to be. Imagining you girls scrapping it out alone here, it just wouldn't do." he said shaking his head with a far away look in his eyes.

"We…we're debating who's going to be our guardian right now," murmured Kayleena looking down. "Our family-"

"I'd thought of that, and there's only two probable ideas, the rest of the family will want to split you two up, and we can't do that," said Devore thoughtfully. "Anyways. We'll go to your house after the funeral and discuss it, oh, and I offer my condolences, I don't understand why these things happen to such good people."

------------------

The only sound in the kitchen was the sound of a chipped mug clinking gently on the table as Kayleena brought Devore some coffee. She stood by the table because the other chairs had been packed away, along with most of their belongings. Half of which, being their parents, was being put away into storage by more… "generous" family members.

Devore took a sip of the coffee slowly before looking up to Kayleena. "I've looked around through your family members, and I found the one willing to take you both in. Your father's aunt, Erradane Dexter, is a very rich woman who lives in England. She's extended an invitation to both you and your sister to go live with her."

Kayleena's eyes widened. Despite all the tragedy she couldn't deny that it had always been one of her dreams to travel and live across seas. But then she calmed a bit. She did know what she wanted. But she didn't know what Tawny did.

So far as she knew her younger sister's dreams could reside in America, far away from the bustle of England's beautiful streets. "I'm afraid-"

"We should go," said a voice that had grown unfamiliar in the house. Tawny stood in the doorway arms crossed and looking on with what had to be a feinted expression of disinterest. "Kayleena's always wanted to go across seas, and I'm sick of being here."

Sick of being looked at by "Family" that didn't want her.

Kayleena nodded firmly. "We'll go. But how are we going to get there?"

Devore smiled. "Then it's settled. You two girls just finish packing and let me worry about the rest. Uncle Devore is going to handle everything."

------------------

That was what led up to them exiting Devore's private plane late Friday afternoon. Kayleena was dressed in a modest button up white shirt and black pants, where Tawny was in some confection of a skirt with more belts and buckles than Kayleena cared to count, knee high lace up boots, and a tight white button up shirt with oversized bell sleeves.

"Couldn't you have worn something appropriate to meet our aunt?" asked Kayleena impatiently.

"Hmm, as these England people say, Bugger off!" said Tawny.

Kayleena sighed irritably. As soon as they got on the plane, Tawny had gone back to being her disagreeable self, which while in this situation was comforting, it was still as annoying as ever.

"Kayleena? Tawny?" queried a man in a suit with a chauffeur's hat on.

"Yes?" said Kayleena turning to him.

"I'm here to escort you home."

As Tawny calmly observed her surroundings, she could only hope that what the man said was true, and that this alien place would eventually become home.

------------------

As the limo drove up the long drive of the manor, Tawny whistled in appreciation, something she knew would make her sister wince. But that wasn't her main reason. The manor was genuinely impressive.

At least two stories high with two wings. It was beautiful and looked like something out of a fairytale with its well tended grounds and arched windows that looked to come out of some gothic novel.

Tawny sighed quietly. She already felt out of place. When she'd heard Devore say that the invitation had been extended to them both, she'd immediately complied. Despite the fact that she and her sister didn't get along she knew that Kayleena was the only genuine and stable thing in her life, and she didn't want to let that bit of reality escape her.

But the further she got on to the story-esque grounds, the bigger a mistake she felt she'd made. This was not her world, but an entirely new one, where she was nothing but a child with outstanding bronze skin and an exotic face that would never blend into a crowd.

She looked at Kayleena who was also enthralled with the house and she steeled herself. If Kayleena could take this change in settings, then so could she. What she didn't know, were the thought flying through Kayleena's mind.

It was true that the house was beautiful. Breathtaking, in fact. But would she be expected to call this place home immediately? It was a perfect contrast to her previous life. _Her_ house had been simple. It was one-story, had a garden, a chipped front door, and dirty windows. This place felt unwelcoming and seemed to be a spot to record Windex commercials.

She peered out the car window to see a man working on the huge fountain in the middle of the U-shaped granite driveway. He caught her eye and dutifully tipped his hat, causing a flow of water to squirt out on his face.

Kayleena giggled and turned to see Tawny looking at her with an odd expression, cutting her laughter short. She offered her youngest sibling a lopsided smile. Tawny's eyebrow lifted and she shook her head.

Suddenly, the door opened and the chauffer was there, ready to escort the two out of the limousine. Tawny exited, shrugging away the hand ready to help her. She could do this. If Kayleena was comfortable enough, then she was already home. She felt confident. She would so better than her whimpering, dependant sister. It was when Erradane herself descended the stairway that Tawny was tempted to sink into her seat.

The woman was tall slender and imposing with short neatly groomed hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth. Her gray suit clung to her well kept figure perfectly and her mere presence demanded respect. When Kayleena finally exited the car, the woman offered them a proud smile. "Welcome, my dears, to Dexter Manor."

------------------


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Erradane Dexter's first impression of the girls was the fact that they were polar opposites. Where the younger one, Tawny, gave her a level gaze meant to look disinterested, the elder Kayleena couldn't look her in the eyes and kept fidgeting.

When she'd escorted the two to the main dining hall it had been blessedly silent. She couldn't abide it if they'd been mindless chatterboxes, but the silence was almost more overbearing. Kayleena seemed stock-terrified, save for the few comments she made which compared the grandeur of Dexter Manor to "her" house, and Tawny was trying to be as distant and nonchalant as possible.

She looked at the two girls sitting before her, one had her ankles together and her hands in her lap, the other had her legs crossed and her arms tossed recklessly behind her on the chair. Her first impression was also that her nephew's offspring were altogether unimpressive.

"Now, I'm sure you girls were raised a certain way in America, but you must realize that here you're expected to uphold a certain manner of decorum." she said carefully, watching their faces to make sure they understood. Kayleena was nodding. Tawny was rolling her eyes. "Is there something you don't understand Miss Tawny?" asked Erradane sharply.

Tawny clearly wanted to say something disrespectful, but couldn't think of anything in a reasonable amount of time so she shook her head.

"Good then. I understand you two brought your belongings, but lack furniture."

"We didn't know what would be provided for us," said Kayleena helpfully.

Erradane nodded. "I see. Well, you two will be escorted to your rooms. You will find a bed, and nothing more. You'll be allowed to decorate them as you see fit. Those are your rooms. But among the things I won't abide in this house, there's tardiness, disrespect, and drugs. Anyone who does drugs under my roof will immediately find themselves devoid of any and all privileges. Am I understood?"

She didn't have to look at Kayleena to know she was swiftly nodding but when she met Tawny's eyes, she looked deeply questioning. There was no defiance there. Tawny nodded sincerely.

"Good. You may go to bed now. I have you summoned for breakfast tomorrow, and we can see about having your rooms decorated. After that, I'll be registering you in the local private school-"

"Private school?" blurted out Tawny, interrupting for the first time in the conversation. "You mean like, with uniforms?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, I mean like, with uniforms," repeated Erradane looking at Tawny. "As I said, you will uphold a certain amount of decorum. And receiving a good education is part of that. Saint Meredith's is a prime learning facility with a top staff and high testing students. You should do well there."

"Uhh, no. Kayleena will do well there. You forget, I'm human." replied Tawny. Erradane did not miss the way Kayleena's eyes shut and how she bit her bottom lip.

"You will do well there as well." replied Erradane. "Despite your mediocre grades, it's your test scores that get you into schools like this. And yours not only passed but exceeded the expectations. I expect you to get grades to parallel them."

Tawny was silent. She didn't like the idea obviously, but she wasn't going to proclaim her own stupidity.

Kayleena knew that was what Tawny was thinking. Honestly, she was grateful for her sister's pride; especially when it made her silent. She wasn't positive if Tawny had the ability to understand what their aunt meant when she said she demanded respect.

She sighed quietly, hoping that Tawny's immature nature would not cost them a place to live.

It was then that a servant came to escort them to their rooms which were on the second floor in the east wing. It was then that the girls received their second shock.

------------------

The rooms were huge. Large white empty rooms with high ceilings and endless potential. The room that held Kayleena's bags was large enough to fit their previous home inside. The three high arched windows were faced towards where the sun would shine in and against one wall was a black framed bed with white sheets. She walked into the walk in closet to see that her clothes had been unpacked already and a row with school uniforms was already prepared for her.

She sighed and forced a smile. Be grateful, she told herself. She would not shame her father. She forced her feelings back in her mind and swirled around, reveling in the huge room, with decorating plans turning in her mind.

------------------

Tawny was no less impressed with her equally large room. There was only one large window in her room and it sported a window seat with rich crimson cushions. Her belongings were also in her closet and she was quick to set up her stereo on the floor before lying back on the simple black framed bed, wondering what tomorrow would bring in this strange place.

------------------

Kayleena awoke to the sound of raindrops gently falling on her large windows. She was not unaware of her location. In fact, she was painfully aware of it. She opened her eyes to see a vast scene of darkness, brightened only by the little sun that could creep through the dense fog.

She closed her eyes drearily. There had been little sleep throughout the night. This new surrounding would take a lot getting used to. But, she readily remembered, today could possibly help. Today, she was going to decorate her room.

As if that thought set off an alarm, Kayleena's door opened and Aunt Erradane entered, looking purposeful and stern.

"Still abed? At this hour?"

"I'm awake," Kayleena blurted before Aunt Erradane got to her. "Though unaware of the time," she added apologetically.

"Half past seven!" her aunt replied briskly. "It's good to know you have manners to be up at this time. Now, follow me and we shall have breakfast."

Kayleena followed her aunt to the kitchen, feeling even more out of place than she had previously.

The halls seemed to loom about her and the wooden floors and marble staircase seemed more fit for lavish parties and balls than a routine housing arrangement.

"You must be hungry," Aunt Erradane said. She wasn't guessing; though the girl seemed completely unaware of it, she had heard her stomach growling for the past minute. She was almost pleased with the awed expressions coming forth from this girl, but she had become accustomed to them. She would prefer talking about things, reading things, sliding down the railing, even. Practically anything could be better than this silence.

"Will Tawny be joining us?"

This sudden outburst almost ruined Erradane's composure. "No, I will see to her later." Kayleena's tongue quietly clicked in her mouth. "Though I would like to inform you that I will not be climbing up these stairs every morning to fetch you. I trust you have an alarm clock?" She looked behind her to see if she had the girl's attention. She did.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" Aunt Erradane asked, stopping in her tracks to face the girl. "I am not from the Southern colonies where it is customary for slaves to call their superiors 'ma'am.' I am your aunt, and I would prefer for you to call me such."

Kayleena's eyes were wide open and she nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, aunt."

"I hope you like bagels and tea," Erradane stated, once again on her way to the kitchen.

------------------

"I would like to know what the action indicates when you click your tongue."

This demand came up quite suddenly in the midst of their breakfast. Kayleena almost choked on the piece of bagel she was chewing on when she heard it. She had hoped that her aunt would not have picked up on her habit.

"Well?" Erradane asked patiently.

"Um…well, it is just something I do when I disapprove of something Tawny does," Kayleena answered with her head lowered.

"What made you think she did something?" Erradane asked. "Perhaps I just wanted to breakfast with you."

Erradane watched a pair of slim shoulders shrug.

"Tawny isn't a morning person," Kayleena answered quietly. She picked up her cup of tea and took a drink.

The corners of Erradane's mouth tugged before she took control. "Some valuable information I could have taken heed to a while ago," she agreed.

This caught Kayleena's attention. She kept her head lowered to school her features. If Tawny did something to put them out of a house…that must be it! Of course that was it! How could she be so stupid? Of course, it was all clear now. Stupid Tawny had to go and throw their Aunt's hospitality in her face. Kayleena would strangle Tawny if they were homeless. Then again, that might not be such a good idea, Kayleena determined. Strangulation leads to a lack of oxygen in the brain…it would only hinder Tawny's mental state, and create an even worse situation for Kayleena.

Her head slowly lifted, giving her time to cool her face down if it was flushed at all, and offered her aunt a lopsided grin. "What did she do?"

"What do you suspect?"

Kayleena stroked her lower lip, to portray the façade that she was in thought. Well…might as well "suspect" what Tawny would naturally do. "Promptly threw a pillow at you while mumbling instructions for you to stick it up where the sun would shine, if it were out."

Erradane tilted her head back and forth. "More or less."

A smile broke out on Kayleena's face, which was soon covered by the tea cup.

Erradane cleared her throat and a butler came in. "This is Richard, and he will take you into town to buy whatever it is you need in order for you to decorate it how you see fit. He knows to what extent you may spend. Anything after that, you shall work off in chores."

"Thank you very much," Kayleena said.

Richard nodded. "I will be waiting for you in the driveway, Miss."

"Thank you," Kayleena said once again, this time to Aunt Erradane. She turned to leave but was called back.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do not shrug in the future," Erradane said. "It is impolite."

Kayleena nodded her head and left the room.

"This will be, in the least, amusing," Erradane said to herself.

------------------

Richard watched mutely as Kayleena silently walked up and down the paint isles, jotting down notes about color, price, and quantity. He had no idea what she had in mind, but trusted that she did.

"Um, sorry Richard, but do you know if we will be permitted to bring in some of our old furniture?"

"I am not sure, Miss. If you would like, I can ring your aunt for you and inquire."

Kayleena looked pleased. "Please do, and thank you."

She knew exactly what she wanted. Her room was big enough to do it, but if she failed to acquire a few old furnishings, she would have to improvise.

"It is not a problem, Miss," Richard said.

"Wonderful!" Kayleena exclaimed, and went back into her own world.

Richard didn't mind. He was a butler, trained to stand aside and watch people.

"Is this good-quality paint?" Kayleena next asked.

"I am not positive of the quality, Miss. If you require, I can fetch the manager."

"Well, it might help. But I'd like to ask you, if I buy these paints, would I have enough money to buy rugs, curtains, brushes, bedding, photo frames, and other miscellaneous items?

She showed him a neat list of paints and the grand total circled on the bottom. Richard smiled.

"Yes, Miss. More than enough."

"Splendid." She wanted to know how much she had to spend! The main things she wanted from her furniture, were the two couches, her easel, bookshelf, dresser, and headboard and footboard for her bed. Not to mention her hope chest. The she wanted to buy at least three full-length mirrors, a vanity set, a shelf or two, curtains and rugs.

"Can I help you, Miss?" an entirely new voice asked.

Kayleena whirled around to see the store manager. "Ah," she smiled. "Yes, I was curious as to the quality of this paint in comparison to this one."

Richard was baffled at how expertly his young charge handled the situation. He had no idea that so much precision was involved with picking out paint!

"Great! I would like these, then." Kayleena handed the manager another list, complete with the amount of paint she desired for each color. "And I was wondering if, when you blend this golden color, you would put an additional one-third portion of the brown pain in there?"

"Certainly," the manager said and walked away to retrieve the necessary paint.

"Now Richard, after this, I need to find a specific color and material for the curtains. Is there another store, other than this one, that you can recommend?"

------------------


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After four and a half hours of shopping, Kayleena had purchased everything she wanted, and was now standing in her enormous room. The piles of paint she bought were stacked near a wall, and an enormous tarp had been set on the floor. Kayleena sighed.

She wished her father could be here. She knew that he would have loved to see this site: a huge, white room, full of possibilities, but with only one ending. She valued his opinion. She valued his taste. She valued his experience, his logic, and the grasp of understanding he had with her with what she wanted to do.

Well, she determined in her mind, she would make her father proud. This design would be dedicated to him. She planned to incorporate all the things he had taught her on the walls. She would feel at peace, here. Despite her fatigue, she put on her painting clothes, and got her brushes out.

It was time.

She touched the wall that featured the three windows. She would start here. She picked up a ladder that had been placed in the room and brought it to the farthest corner. This would take a while. She poured the golden color into a container, and started.

An hour passed, but she did not know it. Two hours. Three. Still, she painted.

She went unaware of the people passing by her door. She didn't notice them open or close her door, and didn't notice the fan that a lady servant placed in her direction to ward away the smell.

She vaguely remembered turning the fan around to face a different direction, as to not disturb the paint, but that was all. She felt. She envisioned. She created. Her ears were deaf, and her eyes were blind to what lay before her.

She felt her mind move with the brush. She felt her thoughts flowing through her arm and into her hand, which passed the message into the brush. She knew what she was doing, but couldn't see it. She knew the detail that was going into the wall, but didn't know what it was for.

She knew she had gone down the ladder numerous times, and saw glimpses of scarlet red, royal purple, forest green, pale yellow, and an endless array of colors pass into her brush. Until the last stroke.

She knew she had finished the wall because she heard the fan. She heard footfalls in the hallway.

And she saw her creation.

A large canopy tree enveloped most of the wall, save for a few feet on each end and the spaces the windows provided. But it was a huge contrast, the outside view from the colors of the wall. There was a pond nest to the large tree trunk, with tall grass and flowers. The pool of water was dark and seemed to be in constant motion, whereas the tree, with its hanging tendrils were stopped in the invisible breeze. The tree had twisted vines, and roots were sticking up, disturbed, from the ground. Small flowers emerged from there, but Kayleena's eye roamed to a small family of frogs on the pond's edge. She was tadpole eggs, in a bunch, start to break off in the water's undetermined disturbance.

She noticed small animals flying around the pond, and creep up into the large canopy of the tree. She gasped at the sight of a bird's face stuck in the tree's leaves, looking confused and shocked.

"How is it that you can seem surprised with your own painting?" asked the irritable voice of Tawny.

"How is it that you can come to a battle of wits unarmed?" replied Kayleena, still staring at the picture, her body stationary.

"Whatever!" scoffed Tawny, walking off. She knew exactly why Kayleena was staring at the mural. It looked exactly like something that would flow from the hands of her talented father, she thought begrudgingly. Though the man had never bothered to raise her, she'd known what kind of talent he possessed, and now, it was flowing from Kayleena's nimble fingers.

She was a little jealous honestly, but as a song rose in her throat she knew she had her own legacy from their parents.

------------------

Erradane had gotten up early that morning to greet the youngest Dexter, who she assumed was neither used to hard work or early rising. Something that was both common and required in her house And she had the feeling the younger Dexter was used to none of them.

When she entered the room, the early sunlight was shining across the bed, highlighting glossy black curls and an almost baby-doll face. So innocent in her sleep, Tawny's parted lips uttered one word to Erradane's quieting chidings to wake up. "Go-way!"

She rolled over curling around her pillow a glare on her face. Erradane looked at her irritably. "Young lady. It's time to wake up."

"Stow it Kayleena!" she said throwing her pillow and burrowing under her blankets.

"I, young lady, will do no such thing. Nor am I Kayleena."

The blanket tented as Tawny shot up from her bed. "…Aunt Erradane?"

"Precisely."

"Ah. Morning."

------------------

Erradane watched as Tawny put her hair up in a claw-clip bearing her right ear which had three piercing at the top, and two at the bottom. She sighed. "Why did you feel the need to mutilate your ears? Is that even on both ears?"

"No," said Tawny. "This first one, at the top, is for when I turned eighteen, the second one is for when I got my first crush, the third one was for the move. The bottoms don't mean anything," she said with a shrug.

Erradane sighed. As much as she disapproved, it was touching. "What a barbaric way of showing your affection for the world. Either way, will you be dining with us this morning."

"I don't eat in the mornings." said Tawny.

"Oh?" said Erradane in obvious disapproval.

"Oh." replied Tawny trying to hold her temper in check. "Might I ask why you woke me so early?"

"Well, today you'll be decorating your room, you have a budget naturally, but my chauffeur Rogers will be driving you around. You will treat him with respect, is that clear."

"Crystal," replied Tawny tightening the laces on her boots.

"You will also be getting new more respectable clothing- I will be choosing those out for you however," said Erradane looking at Tawny's outfit with distaste.

"Fine." muttered Tawny.

------------------

The employees didn't know what the younger girl was doing. If the first one hadn't been odd enough, at least they'd been able to figure out what she was doing. After several hours however, it became apparent.

"Is she…" began one maid.

"Making a collage out of the wall," finished the butler. "I believe she is. Although how she managed to purchase all those prints on a budget, I'll never know. Rodgers did say they went into a seedier part of town."

Tawny had taken several posters, some of them she'd brought with her only served to cover about one fourth of the wall with the window, they'd managed to cover all her own room. Prints, all black and white. Faces, people, places. With occasional splashes of color to catch the eye. It took her a ladder, at least ten packs of push-pins, and a hell of a lot of patience. But eventually she had one wall done. Being simple at heart, she painted the other walls and the ceiling black before calling it a day and settling back on her discount rate crimson sheets to look at what she'd done.

"Won't you be wanting more furniture?" asked Erradane looking at the job that had been done on the room. "It doesn't seem very practical."

"I'm not a furniture type of girl. I like to look at pretty things." replied Tawny.

"Then…Why did you buy a pet cactus?" asked Erradane pointing at the cactus in the corner. On it's reddish brown pot was a name tag that said, 'Hello, my name is Cactus'

"I like a little humor too," said Tawny smiling at Erradane. "One without the other is irrelevant."

------------------


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was a warm day in the middle of the school year when the Dexter sisters stepped out of the limo and on to the campus of Saint Meredith's- Before taking off in totally opposite directions without even a single goodbye to each other.

Kayleena headed immediately to the office to get her schedule and after receiving it from a dinosaur of a secretary she was prepared to leave the office when she was stopped by a man in a cleanly pressed blue suit.

"Miss Dexter, I presume?"

"Um, Sir?" she said backing up a pace.

He looked over her neatly pressed uniform. She wore the white shirt neatly pressed and tucked in with the dark black bow-tie matching knee length pencil skirt, cardigan, and brown hush puppies. Her hair was neatly bound back in a bun held in with pencils and in her arms were a brown messenger bag and a note pad. This was undoubtedly the elder Dexter sister.

"I'm Principal Jay Waltman. Pleased to meet your acquaintance… Kayleena Dexter was it?" he asked holding his hand out for a hand shake.

"Um, pleased to meet you as well!" said Kayleena brightly.

Jay Waltman was a charmingly aged man with peppered gray hair, straight teeth, and a charming smile. "I spoke to your aunt about you, I look forward to having your talents credited to my school,"

"Thank you!" said Kayleena smiling. "And I look forward to learning in a school where there's so many opportunities for advancement!"

He smiled at her. "I'm glad. Welcome to Saint Meredith's, Kayleena."

------------------

The moment Tawny had exited the limo she'd found herself in awe of the size of the campus of Saint Meredith's. It was huge, like a small college campus. She walked about not watching where she was going, admiring the older gray buildings, the huge library, the large stretches of green grass, the occasional fountains, and the people.

The students, she noted, did not allow the uniform to hinder their individualism. A few managed to find ways to differentiate themselves from the crowd like she did. She smiled as she walked about- until the bell rang that was. Then she found herself in choppy drifts of people heading in all different directions. Lost.

------------------

Tawny had managed to make it back to the library, and that was where Principal Waltman found her. She was sitting in the corner created by the front wall and the protruding stairs. She appeared to be playing with the shoelaces of her black knee high boots. Her pleated black skirt was shamefully high, her white button up shirt was too tight, and the black blazer she wore was too short. Beyond that, in place of the black tie was a black spiked dog collar.

Her hair was in double ponytails and she had on a pout to match her dark makeup. "Might I ask why you're not in class young lady?" asked Mr. Waltman as he cleared his throat.

"Got lost," she muttered. "Can't find the office and I don't want to interrupt someone's class to ask for directions." she said without looking up.

It was funny that while this was the trouble child of the two Dexter's, she seemed like a small child at the moment. And it was undoubtedly the younger Dexter. He'd never seen this new golden skinned student and she fit the description Erradane had given perfectly, give or take a little attitude, though Erradane had also warned him of an innocent act Tawny could use.

"Well, I can show you the way, I am the principal after all," he said holding his hand down to her.

She looked up and took his hand allowing her to help him up before blowing her long bangs out of her face and looking him over. "I'm Tawny, Tawny Dexter."

"Welcome to Saint Meredith's, Miss Dexter."

------------------

Kayleena observed the other students from her new corner in the homeroom. She loved the uniform's pressed clean look, the nifty messenger bags most of the girls had, and the catchy accents. When the teacher called role and reached her name she smiled up at her.

"It seems we have a new student, Kayleena Dexter, would you like to approach the front of the class?"

"Um, okay," she said shyly walking to the front.

"Tell us something about yourself," suggested the teacher.

"Well…I'm from America, and I'm living here with my Aunt, and I-"

It was at this moment that the door opened and Tawny came in looking about as if she owned the place.

"Excuse me miss! Do you have a reason for interrupting my class?" asked the teacher, more than slightly miffed.

"Uh, yeah." said Tawny shortly. "I'm new here, this is my first period class, and it took me a helluva long time to find it."

"Oh," said the teacher flipping through the roll sheet. "You must be…Oh! Tawny Dexter. Are you two sisters?" she asked curiously.

Both girls glared at her. "Do we look like sisters?" asked Tawny.

"Well…No but-"

"They both have American accents!" accused one of the students.

"No shit Sherlock. We're both from America." said Tawny sticking her hands in her pockets.

"Language young lady!" protested the teacher.

"They are sisters!" said the student insistently.

"Why me?" murmured Kayleena.

------------------

It had taken two periods of Kayleena keeping her head low before she stopped hearing whispers about her being the sister of a thuggish Yank. She figured it would all stop eventually, like it had at their old school. It was when she reached third period, that she was forced to relax. Art.

The smell of oil paints, charcoal, and a fresh sketch pad forced her to relax. She'd been welcomed into the class, only to find that their teacher wasn't there, he was in fact prone to being quite late.

The students urged her to simply sit down and begin an independent project- Something she was prepared to do with relish.

"Damnit!"

She blinked, torn from her reverie by a curse uttered from the seat next to her own. She looked over to see a boy in a letterman's jacket struggling with a charcoal landscape- Which had a smear across the sky, due the use of the wrong type of eraser.

"Um…You used the wrong kind of eraser, here, use this to blend it." she murmured handing him a different type of eraser.

He looked up with a smile. "Thanks." he said accepting the eraser with a deep voice.

She colored. He was around four inches taller than her with messy brown hair, playful blue eyes, and a slender cut body that relayed athleticism. "You're welcome…I'm Kayleena, Kayleena Dexter," she said introducing herself.

"Oh!" he said shaking his head. "How rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Michael Gray," he said holding out his charcoal smeared hand.

She turned her head sideways, reading the sleeve of his jacket with a smile. "On the rugby team eh? Awesome." she said shaking his hand.

"Yeah. So, how do you like it here?"

"Well, I think I'll enjoy it here. Quite a bit."

------------------

Tawny couldn't have cared less about the whispers as she walked by. Or the lack of friendliness when she entered the classrooms. Whatever was being said she could use to her advantage in time. And whoever didn't want to be near her wasn't useful to her, thus not meriting worry. It was when she walked into sixth period that she actually looked about with mild interest.

Musical arts. Choir, and Band. Everyone seemed so fixated on what they were doing, looking over music and fine tuning their instruments. Their interest forced her to give her interest as well. It was while she was looking around that she bumped into the teacher.

"May I ask what you're doing here young lady?" asked the woman, clearly miffed.

"Um, I have this class," said Tawny handing her the schedule.

The woman grabbed it with a look of disbelief on her face, her eyes scanning until she came across the line that said choir. Her face twisted in displeasure. "I hope, Tawny, that you don't think this is going to be a cake class, as you Americans call it. Our choir and band have been at the top in competitions for the past twenty years. And I won't allow someone to just walk in and goof off, simply because you're related to one of the benefactors."

Tawny's brows rose as she looked at the woman in shock. "Uh- Excuse me. I didn't want to barge in on your little elitist party. As for my aunt, you're right, she is the reason I'm in here. She insisted. Else wise, I assure you, champions or not, you couldn't have captured my interest."

The woman looked Tawny over. "Well, if you're not up to quality, you needn't worry, I'll have you out of this choir soon enough." she said coolly. "Now, let's hear your voice."

Tawny sneered at the woman. "What would you have me sing?"

"Whatever you will, I'm sure living in America you wouldn't know any of the pieces we perform here." responded the teacher.

Tawny rolled her eyes before turning around, and beginning to hum before singing. "There's something about the look in your eyes, something I noticed when the light was just right. Ooh, It reminded me twice that I was alive, and it reminded me that you're so worth the fight. Ooh Yeah. My biggest fear will be the rescue of me, strange, how it turns out that way. Yeah."

She put her fingers to her lips as the room grew silent. She didn't notice though, she was stuck in the song. "Could you show me dear, something I'm not seeing, something infinitely interesting. Could you show me dear, something I'm not seeing, something infinitely interesting. Oh oh oh oh. There's something about the way you move. I see your mouth its long motion when you sing. More subtle than something someone contrives."

"Your movements echo that I've seen the real thing. Your biggest fear will be the rescue of you. Strange, how it turns out that way. Yeah. Could you show me dear. Something I'm not seeing, Something infinitely interesting. Could you show me dear. Something I'm not seeing. Something infinitely interesting."

She took a breath as she finished the song before opening her eyes with a neutral expression. Everyone was staring. She looked around defiantly before shifting nervously and holding her arms and looking at the door longingly.

"Well," murmured the teacher. "Erradane did have a reason for sending you here. Welcome to the choir. You may call me Eva, I'm your new teacher."

Tawny simply nodded. Glad that she hadn't been blown off. Her eyes scanned the classroom to see that everyone had their eyes on her. Except…Except for one boy. One boy who was holding a violin.

Her brows knitted as she was led off. She didn't even have a chance to see his face as she was rushed to meet the rest of the choir. But his image stayed branded in her mind.

------------------


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kayleena was panicked. It was sixth period and she looked intensely at her schedule. The must have been something wrong with her eyes. Or maybe the printer smeared when it printed her schedule. Maybe the sweat from her hands was causing the ink to smear! It could not be possible for Kayleena to be in debate for her sixth period class.

What had she done to deserve this? She was not cruel to people! She bit her bottom lip before she convinced herself to go into the classroom. After all, what would her father say about this? She was acting like Tawny, being upset about something she could feasibly handle.

But, for one last time, Kayleena looked down the long corridors and noticed the absence of students. Class was about to start and she could not be late. So, with a heavy sigh, she opened the door to face her doom.

There was no way she would get a good mark in this class, she knew it. Her legs seemed to shake as she walked to the teacher's desk. The teacher seemed very unprofessional, sitting on his desktop. But all the same, she handed him her schedule.

He looked a little young to be a professor at such a prestigious school. He had sandy blonde hair and wore grasses which did no good to disguise the pimple in the middle of his eyebrows. And his attire was very similar to the uniform the boys wore.

"Ah, an American! Class," the teacher boomed. "We have an American with us, now!" He smiled over at her and Kayleena felt her heart sink into her stomach.

The class began jeering at her, only to be quieted by the teacher. "Now that isn't fair. She must have a chance to defend herself before you dissect her and the people she represents." He lowered his head to whisper in her ear. "I hope you've come prepared. They're a ruthless bunch." Then, he got off his desk and sat in a chair in the front row.

The class was silent and they all watched her. Her eyes got smaller as her face contorted into a confused state and her mouth lifted at the edge to demonstrate a sort of smile. Her head got dizzy but she stood firm. As her jaw opened to allow her mouth to form words, she realized that her brain was not functioning. It was running a mile per millisecond with thoughts to get out of there immediately.

"Buh?"

Buh? Did she just say Buh? Did the sound "buh" actually escape from her lips? Why? Did anyone hear her? Of course they heard her! Oh, crap! This was horrible! A dreadful way to start a new class! How stupid of her! Why couldn't she just form an argument or at least tell what her name was? Why! Was she that stupid? What was wrong with her? Oh, God, of course they heard her. Now she would be the laugh of the year. Buh. She closed her eyes when she saw the teacher get up and begin to resume his spot on the desk.

Buh.

"Well, I believe she made an excellent argument. Especially for her first! Let's give her a round of applause, class."

"Oh, Henry, go back to your seat," a gray-haired old man said from the back of the class.

The teacher-boy, Henry, smiled sheepishly at Kayleena and went to his seat. "I am the teacher here, Miss." He made his way to the front of the room and picked up the schedule from the wooden desk. "Miss Dexter? It's a pleasure to have you in here. I am Mr. LaFave. Please, if you would like, you can take this ruler and beat Henry with it. Our topic today is now capital punishment, as I believe it is a big issue in America?"

"Apparently only in Texas," Kayleena mumbled.

"What? Oh, a sense of humor! You shall do well in here, Miss Dexter."

Kayleena couldn't make eye contact with anybody, even the teacher. How could he have let that boy torment her like that? What sort of person was he? Sense of humor. He wouldn't find it funny if she spit on him. That was her kind of humor right now.

She knew her face was red. She could feel the heat of it on her collar. "Where do I sit?"

"Oh, you don't want to beat Henry? I was rather looking forward to it! Well then, you can sit anywhere you can find an empty seat. But then, that would require you to look up from the floor."

Her head snapped up and she scanned the area. There were seats everywhere. Apparently, Debate was not a popular subject. Kayleena opted for the chair in the back, next to the wall.

"So she's a wall-dweller. We shall bring out the fighter in you, yet, Miss Dexter!"

Why was Tawny not in here, then, Kayleena wondered.

Stupid Henry. Stupid debate. Stupid buh.

------------------

Kayleena waited in the limo, annoyed. Where was Tawny? She had been waiting for her for ten minutes! She had things to do, too. Although Tawny's selfishness shouldn't have surprised Kayleena, it did now.

Kayleena was not selfish. She just wanted to be back in her room. She wanted to feel secure and engross herself in finishing her mural. Was this too much to ask?

"Do you think she acquired alternate transportation, Miss?" Bernard, the driver asked.

She sighed. She didn't know. "Maybe just one more minute." Occasionally, she despised her protective nature of her dense younger sibling. Then, around the corner of the farthest building, Kayleena spotted Tawny's head. Tawny looked around before she began to walk towards the vehicle.

As she passed a group of boys sitting on a wall, she lifted her skirt to pretend to scratch a spot on her leg. Kayleena rolled her eyes and hoped that the boys would ignore her. One smiled and watched Tawny sashay to the limo.

"What was wrong," Kayleena asked when Tawny got into the car. "Couldn't feel enough of a draft?" She looked innocently at Tawny.

Tawny gasped slightly. "No! I felt as though I didn't do a good job representing the American stereotype today, so that was my finishing touch."

Groaning inwardly, Kayleena turned her head and grimaced. Stupid Tawny.

------------------

It was odd, for both girls, to walk into a silent house after school. Usually, their mother was there to greet them and ask how their day had been. Well, asked Tawny mostly how her day had been.

"Mesdames, there is a snack in the kitchen for you," a maid with a French accent told them.

"Thank you," Kayleena said and watched Tawny skip/walk to the kitchen. "Um…D'où est-que la cuisine?"

The maid brightened and relayed the directions to the kitchen in French.

"Ah, merci," Kayleena answered.

"De rien!" replied the excited lady. "My name is Bridgette," she added.

"Kayleena."

"Oui, je sais!" And with that, she went on her way. Kayleena shrugged and followed the directions to the kitchen before Tawny ate all the food.

------------------

As it was, Aunt Erradane was there to welcome the girls home and ask about both their days. And, of course, to inform them not to get used to her being around so much.

"I do have a very demanding work schedule. For some reason, you girls just happen to find me unoccupied as of recent. Oh, and Kayleena, there is a package in your room from that Uncle Devore of yours." She shook her dead distastefully.

"Thank you, Aunt," Kayleena replied sweetly.

"Anything for me?" Tawny asked, her mouth full of the grapes and cheese that were on the table.

"And I wanted to tell you how lovely you look today, Kayleena. I adore those chopsticks in your bun! Would you show me how to do it?"

"Oh, thank you. And of course. If you like, I can do it right now."

"That's a good idea."

"I taught her how to do that!" Tawny interjected, a grape falling out of her open mouth.

"I sincerely doubt that, Tawny," a stern Erradane corrected sharply. She noticed that Kayleena was standing with her head down and her hands folded in front of her, portraying an even larger contrast between herself and Tawny, who had her hands on her hips and her jaw clenched. "Look at you. You couldn't look presentable if somebody else dressed you! I don't care if you want to look like a prostitute at school, but in _my_ house, you will look appropriate."

She walked over to Tawny and pulled her skirt down to where it should have been and held her hand out for Kayleena's cardigan. Once it was given, Erradane put it over Tawny's bare midriff. It was a bit small, but Erradane didn't care. For the final touch, she pulled off the spiky dog collar and slammed it on the table.

"Now, go find a mirror and make a mental note about how a proper lady ought to look."

Tawny did all she could to keep her anger in check. How dare this crotchety old woman dare to touch, much less take off, her necklace? She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Yes, Ma'am."

A proper lady. Tawny laughed at the thought. Screw that! As she sped to her room, she sat at her desk and looked at cactus.

"Proper my ass! I _am_ proper! She should've seen that skank with her boobs hanging out of her little blouse! If not for the bloody tie, it would've been porn! Shit!" She stood up and paced around her room. "'A proper lady'" she mimicked Erradane. "I'll show her. I'll be better than damn Kayleena. Did you see her, with the prim and oh-so-proper bun? Shit! I can do that!"

She sat down again, this time on her bed and looked at the wall of pictures. "I don't want to be like stupid Kayleena. Damnit, why can't I be good enough?"

------------------


	8. Chapter 7

CH 7

Tawny sat in her homeroom, glaring off into the distance quietly. Not a norm for her, but no one seemed to notice none-the-less. It was her fifth day there and she couldn't have felt more out of place.

It didn't help that the group of girls behind her thought it was entertaining to throw paper balls at her.

She narrowed her eyes and turned slowly before standing up. "Stop it." she hissed.

"Miss Dexter! What are you doing up!" snapped the teacher.

"What are you going to do if we don't?" asked the leader of the girls. She was tall with shoulder length black hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and a bad attitude.

"Well, Terra isn't it? Why don't you try and find out?" asked Tawny with a cool smile. It was quiet in the room as the two girls faced off, practically creating electricity. Kayleena was at a loss for words. Where she'd known her sister fought, seeing it and hearing about it are two entirely different matters.

"Tawny! Knock it off!" she snapped standing up.

Terra walked towards Tawny slowly, and Tawny smirked and stood up straighter. Terra took a piece of paper off Kayleena's desk, crumpled it up, and threw it at Tawny. Tawny caught it, before rushing at her.

------------------

Each hit worked out a little bit of stress, each hit she took made her feel less guilty for the last one she delivered. Tawny was pleased to find that this girl was almost as good at scrapping as she was. Almost.

One well aimed punch to the jaw had the girl on the floor dizzy. Where most would rush on a fallen opponent, when in a calmer state of mind Tawny liked to sit back and look at her fallen handiwork. As she grinned she found herself pulled back by Kayleena as the girl's friends kept her from rushing Tawny.

And Tawny? Tawny laughed.

------------------

Erradane glared through the glass of the principal's door at Tawny. The girl appeared to be sitting on the chair cross-legged Indian style, actually licking at a scratch on her hand as the other girl glared at her.

Tawny proceeded to blow the girl a kiss- Before holding up her other hand to reveal a lock of black hair.

"Look, I wouldn't be too mad at her," said Principal Waltman.

Erradane turned to glare at him. "Are you saying you condone such poor behavior?" she hissed.

"Of course not! Erradane!" he said holding up his hands with a calm smile. "It's just that the girl she got into a fight with is a renown bully. A bully who picks fights with new girls to keep people in check."

"And this excuses her behavior how? She could have avoided this fight! She was fully capable of doing so in a classroom full of people."

"She's adjusting to a new environment," he said calmly. "I'm imploring you, give her time. Maybe an outlet is all she needs," he said pushing a piece of paper across the desk.

Erradane looked at it suspiciously. "And how is this supposed to help?" she said shoving it back.

"Discipline, Erradane, is something I know you value." he replied pushing it back. "Think about it, the other one has art, but Tawny only sings when she's told. Maybe this can be what stops those childish outbursts of rage."

Erradane looked into Waltman's eyes before sighing and taking the piece of paper. As much as she disliked Tawny's behavior she sensed that there had to be a reason behind it. So she would do what she could, in hopes that it wasn't too late to raise the child her nephew had left behind.

------------------

It was a long and quiet limo-ride back for Tawny. She sensed that Erradane's jaw couldn't get any tighter and was ready to pack her things the moment they got home. She stared at the floor.

She knew she shouldn't have fought. For Kayleena's sake at least, and for her own. It hadn't been a smart decision, and she could have avoided it. But for those few moments, when her fists were connecting, her mind was blessedly clear, and she didn't have to think anymore.

It was when the limo came to an abrupt stop that she looked up in surprise.

"Why?" asked Erradane plainly.

Tawny paused before thinking a bit before slouching in her seat. "It made me feel a hell of a lot better," she answered candidly.

"…Is that really all you are?" asked Erradane coolly.

"…It's quite possible."

------------------

Kayleena worried for her sister. Why? Because that's the kind of person she was. Surely violence could only lead to more problems…Right?

Under that supposition she went to school the next day only to find Tawny with a new and flourishing group of friends by lunch. Sometimes it irritated her that in Tawny's world, violence could indeed solve everything, but then, some of her own techniques she wouldn't trade for the world.

That thought in mind, she nibbled her lower lip as she looked back at the shading job she'd done on a still-life of a bowl of fruit.

Little did she know, her concentration on the still-life had Michael Grey concentrating on her lower lip. He took a deep breath as his pencil ran right off his pad, leaving a black path that would undoubtedly be difficult to erase.

"Gads mate! I know she's pretty, but not as pretty as the colors of the black eye your mum will give you if you fail art!" said one of his friends nudging him with his elbow.

"Gah! You're right Gerald, as usual, you're right!" he said, trying to erase the black line he'd drawn across his paper. "…Think I stand a chance?"

"As long as you don't give her that picture as your first present, maybe," said Gerald rolling his eyes.

"Eh…I'll try not to," said Michael looking down at the atrocity that was once his homework. But as usual his eyes were drawn back to the lovely Kayleena Dexter.

------------------

Tawny strummed her guitar lazily playing an acoustic version of a Japanese metal song she knew as she chewed on a strand of black licorice. She sighed. Though people in here admired her, few interested her, which meant she was bored.

Though she'd been angry earlier, doing something with her hands calmed her. Enough so that when her Music Art's teacher, Eva, stepped in front of her looking furious, she simply raised a brow.

"Why aren't you studying the latest song instead of goofing off?"

"…Uh, latest song?" asked Tawny raising a brow.

"Yes the latest song!" said Eva in an exasperated voice. "I wrote on the board that it was on my desk! Don't you read the board?"

"Probably not, considering unlike the rest of us she didn't work to get into this class," said a voice from the back of the room.

Tawny turned her narrowed brown gaze on the boy she'd dubbed as "Violin boy."

He was pale with a slender build, dark straight black hair that grew down to his chin, thin wire framed glasses, a full mouth, stunning blue eyes, and a body to die for, but this didn't matter at that moment. He was the one student in class who hadn't appeared awed and amazed by her voice, and now the boy at the top of her "To kill list."

"Excuse me?" asked Tawny coolly. Everyone in the room was staring now.

Violin boy had stopped fiddling with his guitar and was now looking back at Tawny with cool dark blue eyes. "Do I need to repeat it in simplified language for you?"

"No, but you could practice shutting up, prick," growled Tawny.

He smirked. "Such vocabulary, and to think I'd thought so little of you,"

"Now Crevan, this isn't necessary," said Eva, having been calmed in the presence of two overly hot tempers.

"Crevan is it?" asked Tawny in a crisp voice, walking up the stands slowly and confidently. "Crevan," she said taking his tie in her hands, adjusting it lightly. "Who the hell are you, who happen to have only heard me speak ten times, at the most, to judge my vocabulary?"

"Who needs to hear you speak? Without class, all words become irrelevant,"

Tawny's eyes widened in fury and within seconds, Eva was holding her back from wringing an all too calm Crevan's throat.

------------------

At six foot two with a sinewy but well muscled form Crevan Archer Keely the third couldn't have been less intimidated by the little Latina. True, she'd formed a reputation already, but in his mind, beating up one school bully equated to proving near to nothing.

Over all, she served simply to annoy him. She didn't take the school seriously, she didn't take the choir seriously, and she didn't take herself seriously. Thus he saw no reason to take her seriously on any level.

But she was fun to rile up, he thought with a smirk.


End file.
